Sewing awl



Oct. 10, 1967 H. c. PORT ER 3,346,151

- SEWING AWL Filed June 5, 1965 a tl H. CAMERON PORTER ATTORNEY.

INVENTOR.

United States Patent C) 3,346,151 SEWING AWL H. Cameron Porter, Miami, Fla., assignor of fifty percent to Verdun A. Porter, Monterey Park, Calif. Filed June 3, 1965, Ser. No. 461,142 1 Claim. (Cl. 223-104) This invention relates to a sewing awl, and, more particularly, to a sewing awl for stitching meat and poultry products.

As is perhaps well known, a spear-like form for a sewing awl is well known to butchers, shippers, chefs and housewives, who, in the past, have employed various types of sewing awls for the purpose of forming and stitching meat or poultry products in order to retain the shape of these products during shipping and cooking. This invention relates to an improvement of such awls.

With particular reference to this invention, the improved awl includes a needle with a cylindrical shaft and a narrow or stiletto-like piercing tip which is provided with an eye having a transverse entrance slot for a thread and said awl further including a tear-shaped handle to be grasped by a user to effect a sewing operation. The tip or end of the awl to be threaded is of a slender pyramidic shape of generally diamond-like cross section with the four edges converging to a point at the forwardmost or tip end of the awl, the said edges being sharp to cut into the meat in use. Extending through the piercing member, between a pair of opposed cutting means, an elliptical shape eye is provided to carry and nestle a thread therein. The aforesaid transverse entrance slot or mouth extends between the eye and one of the cutting edges so that a length of thread may be passed directly into the eye opening without the necessity of threading the eye of the tip or piercing member. Further, the forward and the rearward end of the eye extend away from the particular edges of the entrance slot into the eye to define a hooked portion in the eye to seat the thread so that it will not become dislodged from the eye on reciprocal movement of the instrument. In addition, thread-guiding depressions surround the periphery of the eye to allow the thread to lie smooth against the interior surface of the needle when the needle portion of the awl passes through meat and poultry products.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a durable sewing implement that can be operated efficiently, with optimum speed and precision, when utilized for drawing threads back and forth through meat and poultry products to fasten portions of said products together in order to maintain certain desired shapes during shipping and cooking operations.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a sewing awl of rigid construction with the component parts thereof being immovable relative to one another, the said awl having a piercing end to penetrate and pass through flesh-like material, the said piercing end having an eye adapted to readily and easily and quickly be connected to and disengaged from a thread utilized in the sewing operation without the requirement of movable means on the awl for securing the thread in the eye and, further, without the requirement of threading the eye of the needle.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a sewing instrument including a shaft with a handle at one and end a piercing member at the other end, the said piercing member including a pair of cutting edges for providing an opening to allow the instrument to pass smoothly back and forth through meat or poultry products and the piercing member including a thread retaining eye, the entrance to which is through a transverse slot and which eye includes a forward facing and rearward facing hooked portion on either side of the slot to 3,346,151 Patented Oct. 10, 1967 ICC trap and retain a thread in the eye during reciprocal movement.

The present invention will be more apparent by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred arrangement of the invention wherein reference will be made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a bottom view of the sewing awl, including a handle at one end and a piercing member at the other end;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of the sewing awl of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the forward portion of the piercing member of the sewing awl taken along the plane of the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the rearward portion of the piercing member of the sewing awl taken along the plane of the line 44 of FIGURE 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the shaft taken along the plane of the line 5-5 of FIGURE 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Proceeding now to the description of the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings, and referring more particularly to FIGURE 1, showing the preferred embodiment of the sewing awl, designated as numeral 12, the instrument includes an elongate metallic needle 13 with one end connected to a handle 14 of which more will be stated hereinafter. The

needle .13 includes an elongate cylindrical shaft 15 with a piercing member 16 at the end opposite the handle 14, which is spear-like in appearance and on a center line common to that of the handle 14, shaft 15 and piercing member 16. The piercing member includes a thread holding eye 17 with a transverse entrance channel or slot 18 extending between the eye and the exterior surface of the piercing member for threading and unthreading purposes. 7

In use, the piercing end of the needle 13 is adapted to penetrate meat and poultry products, the piercing portion 16 being of stiletto-like appearance, that is, of a slender pyramidic shape having a diamond or rhombic crosssec'tion, as best seen in FIGURE 3. The intersection of surfaces 20 and 22 of the piercing portion or member defines a cutting edge 24, while the intersection of surfaces 26 and 28 of the piercing portion defines a cutting edge 30. The cutting edges 24 and 30 extend along the ends of the largest diagonal of the rhombic cross-section, and are referred to hereinafter as the pair of cutting edges. Also, a second pair of edges will be referred to, that is, those formed at the intersection of surfaces 20 and 26, edge 32, and those formed at the intersection of surfaces 22 and 28, edge 34; these edges may also be sharpened to aid the piercing member of penetration of meat products to be sewn by the awl. The four edges of the piercing member 24, 30, 32 and 34 converge and blend to a point at the forward end of the needle to adapt the piercing member to readily penetrate meat or poultry products and form a hole which is large enough for both the shaft and thread to pass simultaneously.

A thread securing eye 17 is provided centrally between the pair of cutting edges 24 and 30 and adjacent the rearward portion of the piercing member 16; the said eye 17 extends through the piercing member between surfaces 20-26 and 22-28 and parallel to the plane that passes through the second pair of edges 32 and 34. In the preferred embodiment, the eye is of elliptical shape, as seen in plan, and is located centrally, that is, symmetrically, with respect to the main center line of the instrument such that the major diameter is co-incident with the longitudinal center line of the awl.

In use, in order to avoid the necessity of threading the eye in the usual manner, as one would thread an ordinary sewing needle by drawing the thread through the eye, a transverse channel or slot 18 extends between the eye 17 and the cutting edge 24 so that a length of thread may be seated in the eye by moving a length of thread transversely through the channel 18. The width of the channel is preferably less than the major diameter of the eye, so that, a forward and rearward hooked portion 42 and 44, respectively, are located on either side of the entrance channel to retain the eye during reciprocal movement of the instrument 12. The channel opening is located at a position along the cutting edge 24, where the portions of the cutting edge on either side of the channel openings are equally spaced from the main center line of the piercing member in order to present a smooth unobstructed surface and to prevent snagging of portions of the meat or poultry products by the brink edge of the channel opening when the instrument is moved in either direction through the flesh-like material.

Thread guiding, ellipsoidal depressions 50 and 52 surround the periphery of the eye 17 and provides smoothly merging and blending intermediate connecting surfaces between the depressions of the eye, as shown in FIG- URE 4. These depressions are superimposed, facing in opposite directions, and in symmetrical relation with respect to the elliptical eye 17. Thus, a thread extending outwardly from both ends of the eye 17 will normally lie in the depressions 50 and 52 and extend over the rims of the depressions 54 and 56, respectively, into abutting relation with the shaft 15 when the needle 13 is passed through the meat or poultry products. These depressions thereby allow the piercing member and a thread attached to said member to present a relatively smooth external surface adapted to more easily penetrate a product to be sewn.

As can be seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, as Well as FIG- URE 5, the points designated by the numerals 60 and 62 are smoothly curved to merge and blend with the concave surfaces 64 and 66, respectively, extending from the points 60 and 62 to the shaft to allow for smooth withdrawal of the needle from the meat or poultry products.

The wooden or plastic handle 14 is preferably tearshaped having a bulbous end 70 that is easily and comfor'tably grasped by a user. The slender portion 72 of the handle 14 is connected to the shaft so that the shaft 15 and the handle 14 have the same main center line. A ferrule or cap 74 extends over the slender end of the handle, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, with a pin 76 passing through the cap, handle and shaft to secure these items in fixed relation to one another. Also, a flat resting surface 78 is provided on the bulbous end 70 of the handle with the surface lying parallel to the main center line of the shaft.

In use, a butcher or other users of sewing awls will grasp the handle, placing the bulbous end in the palm of one hand, while utilizing the other hand to attach a thread to the eye opening of the piercing member. A length of thread may be easily and quickly passed transversely through the channel leading to the eye. Therefore, it is no longer necessary for a butcher or user to perform the time consuming and precise task of drawing the end of the thread through the eye opening. Once the sewing awl is threaded, a force is applied by the user to the bulbous end of the handle for driving the piercing member, which carried the thread, through the meat or poultry product. When the piercing member emerges from the other side of the product, the thread carried by the eye can easily and quickly be removed through the transverse channel for securing portions of the product together. It should also be noted that, before the user retracts the awl, another thread or the same thread may be placed easily and quickly in the eye of the piercing member, to carry the thread through the product when the awl is retracted. As the awl is moved back and forth through a product, threads may easily and quickly be removed and connected by a single motion of the hand during the sewing operation.

The above described arrangements are illustrative to this invention. Numerous other arrangements may be devised by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as set forth in the claim.

What is claimed is:

A sewing instrument of the type used for sewing meat and poultry products comprising; a cylindrical shaft having an enlarged piercing member at one end, said piercing member having a slender pyramidic shape with a rhornbic shape in cross-section and having four converging edges forming a point at the forward end of said instrument including a first pair of sharp longitudinal opposed edges spaced further apart than a second pair of opposed edges, an eye of elliptical shape extending through said piercing member and lying between said first 'pair of edges intermediate the length of said piercing member with the major diameter of said eye co-axial with the main center line of the shaft and said piercing member, an ellipsoidal, guiding depression formed symmetrically about each mouth of said eye, a transverse slot formed in one of said first pair of edges and said eye to seat a thread thereon, a forward-facing and a rearward facing hooked portion lying on either side of said slot for retaining a thread in said eye during reciprocal movement of said instrument; and a tear-shaped operating handle connected to the other end of said shaft, said handle including a slender portion connected to said shaft, a ferrule extending over the connecting portion of said handle and secured thereto, a fiat resting surface on said handle lying parallel to the main center line of the shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 20,409 6/ 1858 Cottrill 223102 554,046 2/ 1896 Billings 1l280 X 751,334 2/ 1904 OShaughnessy 2231 04 1,991,316 2/1935 Gage 223-104X FOREIGN PATENTS 516,570 12/ 1920 France. 443,627 12/ 1948 Italy. 487,395 11/1953 Italy.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner. 

